Looking for a true rarity? This Le Gene Californian Sports Special Roadster is only one of four known to still exist.
It is powered by a 239 CID Flathead V-8 engine from a 1948 Mercury and is equipped with Offenhauser Speed Equipment, including aluminum high-compression heads and dual Stromberg carburetor intakes. The motor is mated toa Ford three-speed manual transmission. The car's fiberglass body rests on a modified 1940s Ford chassis with a dropped front axle.
The burgundy .....
fiberglass body is in overall excellent order while the bodywork is straight and solid, the engine bay is very tidy and the chrome bumpers fit tightly to the body. The windshield is from a 1955 Ford Victoria.
This car rolls on older blackwall tires, size 6.00-16 at every corner. Each one is mounted on a black wire wheel with factory chrome cap. The tires and wheels are in very good order. The car rides on a 99-inch wheelbase.
The bucket seats are finished in black leather red trim and red piping, black carpet and a fiberglass dashboard. A black dash with a woodgrain panel holds the instruments – speedometer, tachometer (inop), oil pressure and temperature gauges. There is a large, two-spoke steering wheel. The black and red inner door panels and a floor shifter completes the interior.
The Le Gene belongs to a postwar class of cars known as 'American Sports Specials.' These were hand-built sports cars with unique designed and produced in limited quantities.
Designed and built in San Bernardino, California, Lee Dobson and his son, Gene, designed and built these cars, which is from where they derived the name 'Le Gene.' During their operation in Highland, California, the pair produced six Le Gene sports cars and six additional bodies. Today, four complete cars and one body are known to remain. This example is one of the original six fully-completed cars.
This Le Gene received a comprehensive mechanical and cosmetic restoration for the 2010 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. This restoration has been heavily documented and photographed.
This example was previously on display in a climate-controlled museum since its restoration in 2009. In 2015, the car was featured on Discovery Channel's “AmeriCarna” TV show, hosted by Ray Evernham. This example has won multiple awards, including for One-Off and Limited Production class at the Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance in 2014, beating Wayne Carini's famous Spohn Custom car on the field.
Documentation includes a foamboard of details, a binder of photos before, during and after the restoration plus various texts.
If you want to add to your collection of eclectics, if you're a Ford fan then you really owe it to yourself to check out this Le Gene Californian Sports Special today at MotoeXotica Classic Cars.
VIN: 5505316
This car is currently located at our facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on the odometer shows 9,259 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a clean and clear, mileage exempt title. GET OUT AND DRIVE!!!
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